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Written Question
South Africa: Hamas
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of South Africa's relationship with the proscribed terrorist organisation Hamas, and the statements of support for Hamas by former ANC minister Ronnie Kasrils.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are clear with South Africa that Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Humanitarian Law, as we have said from the outset. The vital elements for a lasting peace include the release of all hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by an international support package; removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza; and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.


Written Question
International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Wednesday 3rd August 2022

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why all references to ”sexual and reproductive health and rights” and ”bodily autonomy” were removed from the Statement on freedom of religion or belief and gender equality, published on 7 July.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to defending and promoting universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights and will continue working with other countries to protect gender equality in international agreements. In our capacity as Chair of the event, we amended the statement we made at the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Conference to make the final statement more inclusive of all perspectives and views to allow for a constructive exchange of views on all issues. The UK continues to fund support and lead on issues of gender including on SRHR, through initiatives related to Women,Peace and Security and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.


Written Question
International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Wednesday 3rd August 2022

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the removal of references to “sexual and reproductive health and rights” and “bodily autonomy” from the Statement on freedom of religion or belief and gender equality, whether the original statement can be reinstated.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to defending and promoting universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights and will continue working with other countries to protect gender equality in international agreements. In our capacity as Chair of the event, we amended the statement we made at the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Conference to make the final statement more inclusive of all perspectives and views to allow for a constructive exchange of views on all issues. The UK continues to fund support and lead on issues of gender including on SRHR, through initiatives related to Women,Peace and Security and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.


Written Question
International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Wednesday 3rd August 2022

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of removing references to “sexual and reproductive health and rights” and “bodily autonomy” from the Statement on freedom of religion or belief and gender equality, following the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief on 5 and 6 July.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to defending and promoting universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights and will continue working with other countries to protect gender equality in international agreements. In our capacity as Chair of the event, we amended the statement we made at the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Conference to make the final statement more inclusive of all perspectives and views to allow for a constructive exchange of views on all issues. The UK continues to fund support and lead on issues of gender including on SRHR, through initiatives related to Women,Peace and Security and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.


Written Question
Chagos Islands: Sovereignty
Tuesday 19th July 2022

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, following bilateral discussions at the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), what plans they have, if any, to negotiate a diplomatic settlement with Mauritius concerning (1) the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, and (2) resettlement of those Chagossians who wish to return to the islands.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As close friends and Commonwealth partners we remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on issues of mutual interest, including the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago , which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the Archipelago and we do not recognise its claim. However, we have a long-standing commitment, first made in 1965, to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.

In November 2016, the UK Government announced that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. The decision not to support resettlement followed an independent feasibility study of the practicalities of resettlement (published in February 2015 http://qna.files.parliament.uk/ws-attachments/178757/original/Feasibility%20study%20for%20the%20resettlement%20of%20the%20British%20Indian%20Ocean%20Territory%20Volume%201.pdf) and a public consultation (results published in January 2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/biot-resettlement-policy-review-consultation).


Written Question
Chagos Islands: Marine Protected Areas
Tuesday 19th July 2022

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support the multi-purpose Chagos Islands Marine Protected Area proposed by Mauritius at the 2022 UN Oceans Conference.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We do not recognise the proposals made by Mauritius at the 2022 UN Oceans Conference. The UK declared the British Indian Ocean Territory Marine Protected Area (MPA) in 2010. The UK fully respects the 2015 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Arbitral Award which found that the UK needed to have further consultations with Mauritius about the MPA in order to have due regard to its rights and interests.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory
Tuesday 22nd March 2022

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to hold talks with the government of Mauritius to discuss the next steps for the Chagos Islands, including the restoration of the right of Chagossians to return to and resettle the Islands.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In November 2016, the UK Government announced that resettlement of Chagossians could not be supported on the grounds of feasibility, defence and security interests, and cost to the British taxpayer. There remains no right of abode in BIOT.

The UK is currently delivering an approximately £40 million ($50 million) Chagossian Support Package, over a ten year period, to improve Chagossian livelihoods in the communities where they now live: in Mauritius, the Seychelles and the UK.

As close friends and Commonwealth partners we remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on issues of mutual interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over BIOT, which we have held continuously since 1814.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: Postage Stamps
Wednesday 27th October 2021

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to Resolution C15/2021 of the Universal Postal Union that stamps from the Chagos Islands must be issued by the government of Mauritius to be valid, what assessment they have made of the continued sale of British Indian Ocean Territory postage stamps.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are disappointed by the Universal Postal Union's resolution C15/2021. The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Adoption of this resolution means that the Universal Postal Union will no longer register, distribute, or forward BIOT stamps issued by the Territory. However UK stamps continue to be used for the UK military postal service, accessible to UK military and civilian contractors.


Written Question
British Indian Ocean Territory: Military Bases and Sovereignty
Wednesday 27th October 2021

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to hold discussions with the government of Mauritius in relation to a settlement concerning the future of the Chagos Islands which will (1) allow Chagossians to return to the islands, and (2) safeguard the future of the UK military base on Diego Garcia.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

There are no current plans for discussions with the Government of Mauritius on the future of BIOT which will allow Chagossians to return to the islands. We remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on matters of shared interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA). The defence facilities on BIOT help to keep people here in the United Kingdom and around the world safe. The UK will cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes.


Written Question
Iran: Baha'i Faith
Monday 25th October 2021

Asked by: Baroness Whitaker (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human rights implications of the exclusion of Baháʼí students from universities in Iran as a consequence of policies set by the Iranian Education Monitoring and Evaluation Organization; and what representations they have made, if any, to the government of Iran in relation to such exclusions.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.

The Baha'i community in Iran continue to be systematically discriminated against, harassed, and targeted. We have repeatedly raised these persistent human rights violations with Iran. On 9 March, at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK called on Iran to end the discrimination and persecution of religious minorities, particularly towards the Baha'i and Christian converts. The education ministry's reported policies are another example of this discrimination. All religious or ethnic minorities should be allowed to participate fully in society and, together with the international community, we have pressed Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues. We call on President Raisi to set Iran on a different course and commit to improving human rights in Iran, including for all religious minorities.